Show LITThLjO1 ffL 51 rrs i n 1 IP I 1I f1 1 f I Il I I I R I r Ii Ii 1I I I I IIk 1S a + ii 41 y k 7flJ5tZLCEAl1701f5Off K477P JGlllluOlr Mount Holly N JMany a mother has saved her child from death Here Is a child who has saved her mother from deathdeath under the grinding wheels of a locomotive tearing along the rails at GO miles an hour The child Is 12 year old Katie Johnson John-son tho mother Mrs William Johnson John-son If It hadnt been for little Katie Mrs Johnson would be in her grave now and Katie a motherless little schoolgirl Out Katie kept her wits where another child might have lost them The train was the five oclock mall from Philadelphia It was behind time The engineer was trying to catch up to his schedule so he pulled the throttle out to the last notch He took a chance on tho curve near this city and was about 10 take the bridge at top speed when be was horrified to I see a little girl standing on tho tracks not 200 yards away She was tearing along toward the oncoming train waving something It was red The engineer knew Stopped Just In Time Ho threw over the throttle and jammed down tho brakes tho childs signal meant danger Tho heavy train came to a stop with such a shock that all tho passengers were thrown from their seats In tho coaches Tho pilot of tho locomotive wasnt 20 feet from tho little girl when the wheels stopped grinding along the rails Whats the matter cried tho engineer en-gineer jumping down from his seat in the cab followed by his fireman The passengers piled out too cm Ious I-ous to know There In front of them stood a little girl waving her red muffler muf-fler still right in the path of the giant locomotive that would have ground thor to pieces had It gone two rods further fur-ther Quick come quick she crIed for answer Then she started to run back over the tracks followed by the train crow and scores of the passengers Where they got to the bridge they knew what the matter was Woman Caught Between Ties There on tho bridge which tho train would have crossed In five seconds more they found n woman badly hurt Sho had tried to walk across the bridge and had slipped falling between be-tween tho ties There she was tightly tight-ly wodged Her head and shoulders protruded above the ties Any locomotive loco-motive that crossed would have decapitated de-capitated her Instantly And she was so tightly stuck In between the ties that had any train passed over there would have been no chance for escape It was Katies mother I fell sho gasped while Katie and I wero crossing the bridge on the way to town I waa caught fast Gently the train hands and some of the passengers pulled Mrs Johnson out of hQr perilous position Then they found that her left leg had been fractured frac-tured Sho never could have helped herself she would have been killed Instantly Katie Not Excited The women passengers turned to little lit-tle Katie who didnt seem to think she had done anything out of the ordinary or-dinary There she was standing on tho bridge trying to comfort her mother moth-er who was suffering Intense pain from lor broken leg Tho women covered cov-ered her with kisses which Katie didnt seem to relish because she was excited over seeing that somebody would get a carriage to tako her mother moth-er home j t Tho carriage was called and Injured Mrs Johnson was taken home glad that she had suffered only a broken legHut Hut after they got back to thin cars the train hands began to tell stories of old railway men who had forgotten to wave anything red when to do it meant saving lives Katie Is a slight child with flaxen hair cold steady blue eyes and clear waxen pink complexion Sho has about her an air of one who thinks and acts quickly and with femacgs resolution K How Accident Occurred Wo all had been to Philadelphia that day said Mrs Johnson I had with me a little four earold boy Heibert Diirunil and Katie When we got back to Mount Holly I was pretty tired and thought I would walk homo the shortest way This led me over tho bridge near the station The children were ahead of mo hut a short distance and were getting over tho bridge nicely nice-ly Wo walked on a plunk that runs across the middle of the bridge I was about half way across I think when my foot slipped off this plank and caused me to fall knocking down lit tlo Herbert and nearly rolling him into tho crook After I had put him on his foot 1 started to get up and in doing so made a misstep that plunged both my feet and then my body between be-tween two ties until only my head and shoulders were above the bridge I saved myself from dropping Into the creek below by spreading out my arms when I felt myself going down Child Thought Quickly I KCIearned as I fell and this attracted at-tracted the attention of Katie who was u little distance ahead of me Shp came running buck and taking hold of one arm tried to help mo up but I could not lift mystlf enough to get out While 1 was thinking what to do whether I should drop Into the creek below or try some other means of getting louse I found Katie had left me and started for tho station for help helpShe She had gone but a few steps when I heard a whistle and saw Katie white as a sheet with big tears In herO her-O Cll give one look at mo and then turn about and fairly fly across the bridge up the truck toward the train that wits just visible around a curve I could not undciHttuid what Katlo Intended to do to help me but somehow some-how I hud absolute conlldenco that the child would save my life The Mothers Agony Hardly hail she gone off the bridge than she snatched from her neck a red admit ler that sho wore and waved It I frantically at the engineer at the same time planting herself In the mid die of the truck apparently with the belief that If the flag did not stop the engine she would When I saw this I looked ut the engine for an instant and not being able to sec that the train was slowing down my blood turned hot and cold by turns and I shut my eyes determined that I would not move for I knew that If the engine ran past Katie and her slg nal It meant that death had come to her and might just us well com to me In that moment I lived over a good ninny years befoio I realized that tho train had stopped and I was being lifted from danger I remember thinking of an accident acci-dent which I saw several years ago on this very bridge wlii > u an bid man was killed thorp by a fast train I re r membered thtt his heart had fallen rIght near where 1 was standing and that as I looked at It 1 could see It beat two or three times The mem cry of this night came flashing over me as I waited for tho train and I think for a moment I must have ulnted Realized Childs Bravery 1 did not open my eyes until 1 heard Katies voice at my side and felt tho strong arms of the trainmen lifting mo and carrying me to the station And there I wept I guess hysterically for I then realized Just how brave the childs act was for I knew that when Katie stalled up the lack waving the muffler she never intended to get off the track until she lad stopped the train All that Katie would say about her part In averting a tragedy was You see the engine had to stop tom 1 had a red signal You know hat always stops a train and I waved It at the engineer because I didnt know anything else tc do to make him stop I couldnt lift mother out ana so I just had to top the train I dont think there ti anything funny In thut No I wasnt afraid What should I be afraid of Didnt I have the red muffler Dont trains always stop when the man at tho flaghouse waves a red flag Well then what should I be afraid of Thats the kind of a girl Katie is She knew no fear She had absolute confidence that the red flag controlled the motion of the wheels of the ponderous pon-derous Iron horse and made her notlnrs life perfectly safe |